Federal authorities identify name of company that operated vessel that sank off B.C. coast

Flowers have been left from a weekend vigil at the Imperial Landing Docks in Steveston for six people who are presumed drowned after a charter vessel sank in the Strait of Georgia on June 28, 2026. Photo by Arlen Redekop /PNG

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Top Vancouver Fishing Charter advertises itself as offering a “premier fishing experience” with more than 5,000 “happy clients.”

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The company’s website says its “expert” captains are licensed and experienced and “know the best fishing spots” in the region.

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On Monday, the Transportation Safety Board of Canada confirmed that the company operated the vessel that sank in the Strait of Georgia on June 28, leaving four survivors and six people presumed drowned.

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The TSB said there were two crew members and eight passengers on the boat.

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The agency previously said its investigators were conducting interviews and collecting information surrounding the sinking. It had no further updates Monday.

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Top Vancouver Fishing Charter, which is also known by its Chinese name of Hai Shang Hai Diao, is one of several charter companies with boats in Richmond that focus on serving the Chinese-speaking recreational fishing market.

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A typical deep-sea fishing day trip departs from the Imperial Landing Docks near Steveston Village and includes setting traps for prawns and crab before travelling to a fishing spot for halibut and salmon and then returning in the early evening to cook the catch at a nearby restaurant.

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According to its website, the company’s fleet consists of two vessels: a 30-foot KingFisher — the one that sank — and a 37-foot Axopar, a luxury sport boat. Private charters on the KingFisher ran $1,700 per day, while private charters on the Axopar are listed at $2,200.

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Tim Milne, who hosts and produces a television series documenting West Coast boating and fishing life, said last week that he sold the aluminum KingFisher vessel, called Big Coast, to new owners four years ago through a dealer. He said there had been ongoing frustration and confusion because the new owners had not registered the boat’s automatic identification system under a new vessel name.

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Tim Milne says he sold his 30-foot KingFisher aluminum vessel called Big Coast, pictured here, to new owners four years ago. Ten people were aboard the charter boat that sank near Roberts Bank on Sunday. Six are presumed drowned. Photo by Tim Milne

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Milne said Transport Canada contacted him last summer when the Big Coast was caught fishing in a protected area off Pender Island.

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Milne shared the boat’s permanent hull number was QBSY3196G617. When that 12-character identification number is entered into Transport Canada’s vessel registration search system, it lists two current owners: Lihe Yin and Shengnan Song.

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B.C. business incorporation records list Shengnan Song as sole director of Top Vancouver Fishing Charter Inc.

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B.C. personal property registry records list among Song’s assets a 2017 KingFisher 3025 boat with the same identification number.

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A Postmedia reporter found the company’s other vessel, the Axopar, moored at a dock along Steveston Harbour last Friday. A Fisheries and Oceans Canada sport fishing licence — active from April 2026 through March 2027 — was visible through the vessel’s window. The licence, whose holder was listed as Lihe Yin, showed his phone number.

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When Postmedia called the number, a man answered and confirmed he was Yin. When asked if he had any knowledge of the sunken vessel, he said Postmedia had the wrong person and hung up. He has not responded to a followup letter.